How Lynyrd Skynyrd Will Honor Gary Rossington

Before his death in March 2023, Gary Rossington — the last original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd — made it clear to his bandmates that he wanted the legendary Southern rock group to continue without him.

“He knew his health was getting bad,” said Johnny Van Zant, the band’s current lead singer, in an interview with Fox News Digital. “And he told me, ‘I’ve spent my life carrying on this legacy, and after I’m gone, I don’t want to see this band go away.'”

That conversation led the group to bring in guitarist Damon Johnson, known for his work with Alice Cooper and Thin Lizzy. Johnson had already started performing with Lynyrd Skynyrd in 2021 while Rossington recovered from emergency heart surgery. According to Van Zant, Rossington was preparing Johnson to take over long before it became official. Van Zant remembered:

“Gary kind of mentored him, you know, some, and came to rehearsal.
“He wanted this music to go on, man. I don’t think me and Rickey [Medlocke] would be here if Gary said, ‘Hey, after I’m gone, I want this to go away.’ So we’re carrying out his wishes as long as we can.”

A Legacy That Survived Tragedy

Rossington had a long and storied history with the band, co-founding its earliest version, My Backyard, in 1964 alongside Ronnie Van Zant and Allen Collins. He survived the 1977 plane crash that tragically killed several members of the group and helped lead its rebirth into the 21st century.

Johnny Van Zant took over vocals in 1987 after the death of his brother Ronnie and now stands as the longest-tenured member of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Celebrating 50 Years and Honoring Rossington

As a tribute to Rossington’s legacy, Lynyrd Skynyrd recently released Celebrating 50 Years — Live at the Ryman, a live album featuring performances from Jelly Roll, Marcus King, John Osborne of Brothers Osborne, and Brent Smith of Shinedown.

“This was never supposed to be a live release. It was done for PBS,” Van Zant explained. But that performance ended up being Rossington’s final appearance with the band.

“And after Gary passed, we were like, ‘You know what? We think all the fans need to have this in their collection,'” Van Zant continued. He added that Rossington would be “very proud” of the record.